When the Sun Rises
by Raven100104
Summary: "You can't treat her like the girl she used to be, because when you died, she did too." Overworked and driven to exhaustion, Gaara sat in his office, laboring away for his village. His best friend, Sachiko, has a problem with that. She already lost him to the Akatsuki once, but she promised herself: not again. GaaraXOC.


"This job is no fun." Sachiko whined as she slumped over the oversized, paper-filled desk. It has been like this ever since Gaara became the Kazekage…well, ever since the Akatsuki incident anyway. Since then, Sachiko had made it clear to the redhead that despite the mission-packed mornings, she would spend her free time accompanying him as he slaved away for the country—which meant every night. Though, she was especially fidgety tonight.

"It wasn't designed to be fun, Chie." Gaara replied softly as he signed another document. Despite having spent most of his life under the influence of insomnia, the Kazekage really looked worn out and beaten down, and as his friend, Sachiko was not about to let that go. Kage or not, Gaara is still human. "Go home and sleep."

When Gaara clutched his head in exhaustion again, Sachiko snapped.

"This is ridiculous!" Sachiko stood up abruptly, sending a pile of forms in all directions. Gaara glanced up, eyes widening ever-so-subtly at her suddenly outburst. He told himself that he shouldn't really be moved by her mini-tantrum, for the hours were ticking away into darkness, and she, too, was exhausted.

"Chie, go home." Gaara repeated just as softly as he did the first time, rubbing his temples. Late-night work and loud tirades really did not mix well, especially for a quiet and calm person like himself.

"Stop telling me that!" Sachiko snapped back at him. The desert night drew cold, and she was becoming more irritable by the second. And she knew it too. With a swivel of her heels, Sachiko marched towards the door in an attempt to avoid an impending argument that she felt was bubbling up.

"Are you angry with me?" Gaara suddenly spoke up in a certain urgency she hadn't heard from him in a long time. Perhaps it was because she had never left him alone since that fateful day, even when every night, he would tell her to return home to rest. Little did he know, tonight, Sachiko had finally become fed up with all the work thrown at him that would eventually take a toll on his health. In any case, Sachiko froze. Angry? With him? Incredulous, she turned to look at him. "Chie…"

Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Instead, her lips trembled and she quickly reached for the door, slamming it shut behind her. Leaning against the red wooden doorframe, Sachiko sucked in a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her chest heaved heavily as her pupils begin to shake. When had this happen? When did Gaara become so, _so _dear to her? So dear that even an enemy's meaningless taunts can get to her today? She shivered at the thought as the day's mission flooded her memory.

The mission itself hadn't been so bad; it was the genjutsu that she carelessly fell under that shook her to the core. She had allowed her foe to play in her head, so it was her fault, but when she, in the unreality, saw the things her enemy was doing to Gaara, _her_ Gaara, she shattered. She was helpless when trapped in the genjutsu, and was forced to watch as rogue ninjas tortured her Gaara over, and over, and over, and over-

Sachiko shook her head as she pulled herself back from her thoughts –thoughts of Gaara's repeated death— and glared at the ceiling of the Kazekage's tower. She was so helpless that she had become a burden, a weakness that could result in Gaara's death. With clenched fists, she recalled the day he died…the sneer on Deidara's face. When he was suffering, she was back in the village, doing absolutely nothing. In a moment of fury at herself, Sachiko took off towards the training grounds. It was nearly 2 am, and the sites were deserted. All the better. There would be no one to see her break down.

With no protective gear and no weapons, Sachiko began blindly punching posts, throwing kicks, and slamming it with her bare hands. Her thoughts were so far off that she hadn't even realized the time's passing, not even the sharp, biting pain in her hands where bones had broken and blood had already dripped down her entire forearm.

"FUCK!" By the time she realized the conditions of her hands, the pain had finally reached her brain and she cried in agony. Oddly enough, it only made her angrier, and in a backwards, twisted way, Sachiko rammed her fist into the post again, only to feel her knuckles getting sucked into a sea of grainy softness.

"Sachiko, you idiot!" barked a low voice she'd recognize anywhere. Sachiko looked away from the source of the voice and at the blood-covered sand that cushioned her blow. Gaara ran up to her and immediately grabbed her wrists. His jade eyes flashed at her, and Sachiko was suddenly afraid of him. She felt so small before his hovering figure, even when the Kazekage was never big to begin with.

"I-" sounds caught in her throat, and Sachiko gulped. She had never seen Gaara this angry. Not at her.

"No. You listen to me." The young Kazekage scowled, tightening his grasp on her wrist, causing Sachiko to wince. "I tolerate the things you do. I tolerate your irrationalism, your rashness, your stubbornness, even your childish little tantrums. What I can't tolerate for another second, is your _stupidity!_"

"Gaara-" Before she could finish, Gaara shook her off, glaring impassively as her imbalance caused her to fall to the ground.

"And it is Kazekage-sama to you!" Gaara growled, this time low, cold tone that goes unmatched even by Uchiha Sasuke. Sachiko's eyes widened as a tear involuntarily dropped from the corner of her golden eyes. "I order you to go home, right this second. You can forget tomorrow's mission, too!"

"But-"

"That is an order Sachiko!" It only took a lethal silence before sand burst out of Gaara's gourd and snapped like burning whips about him. One of the many strands of sand finally caught Sachiko's waist and tugged her to her feet. She could feel his aura. Oh was he furious at her, but Sachiko couldn't help but mentally note that even as Gaara's sand thrashed around him, the one strand that picked her up was careful as can be.

Sachiko took a hesitant step towards him, only to have the sand whip right before her feet. He was going to force her home. Still, she took another step, and Gaara's eyes narrowed. This time, two snakes of sand lashed next to her. Sachiko coughed a mirthless chuckle, catching on.

"You won't hurt me." She replied breathlessly. With that, another two step. Suddenly, a thread whipped by her face, grazing her cheek just enough to hurt while not drawing blood. Bewildered, her head snapped up at the redhead. "You-"

"Leave." Gaara sneered bitingly, his rough voice ever so husky as his green orbs turned dark.

Eyes wide with disbelief, Sachiko finally allowed tears to cloud her eyes. Without further ado, she took off, but not without another comment:

"You, _Kazekage-sama_, are an ass!"

Finally, Gaara gazed at her retreating back with an air of melancholy. He never wanted to hurt her, but she was about to break (herself), and only extreme measures could possibly convince the most stubborn girl he knew.

"Chie…" he murmured regretfully as the sound of her footsteps faded away.

* * *

"Kan-chan! Kan-chan!"

Kankuro woke up to a loud knocking at his door.

"God damn! It's 4 in the morning!"

The banging continued.

"I HEAR YOU!" The puppet master growled crankily before throwing himself out of bed. Yanking the door open, he was surprised to find his best friend on the other side of the wall, trembling and hysterical. "Chie, what the hell?"

"C-Can I come in?" Sachiko stuttered, her teeth clattering as she willed herself not to scream. She could almost hear her heart thud against her ribcage from the pain and incredulousness she was enduring.

"Yeah, of course," Kankuro said quickly, sparing her from the windy night. He barely had time to turn around before Sachiko lunged at him, bawling into his shoulder. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her, his eyes flashing with concern. "Shh…Chie, what's going on?"

"G-Gaara, I'm going to lose him!" Sachiko muffled a scream into the fabric of her friend's shirt.

"No, you're not. What are you talking about?" With his arms around her, Kankuro rubbed her back, attempting to calm her down. Finally, Sachiko regained her breath enough to spill out her worries since the nightmare with the Akatsuki, and how the very same nightmare resurfaced in the most recent mission. Kankuro had no choice but to hold her into the night.

"Kankuro." Came a soft voice followed by a quiet, single knock. For once, Kankuro was grateful for his brother's mellowness.

"Come in." The older of the brothers muttered, not even bothering to get out of bed.

"She's in there isn't she?" Gaara whispered again.

"Yes, just come in."

With the softest click, Gaara let himself into the room, only to see his own brother holding his best friend like the most fragile doll in the world.

"Is she alright?" The Kazekage winced as he gazed at her knuckles. They were already well into the bruising stage and were already black and blue.

"Outside, I need to talk to you." With almost an annoyed groan, Kankuro carefully removed the girl from his arms and slipped outside with his younger brother. Once out, Kankuro began. "You love her."

"I d-" Gaara opened his mouth to correct him.

"I don't care what you say to deny it, you do. But listen to me Gaara." The puppeteer's usually sarcastic demeanor fell, and his face turned serious. "I know you're strong and that you only want to protect her, and she knows as well. More than anyone, in fact."

Gaara glared, wishing Kankuro would just get to the point.

"You have to remember, she's very vulnerable right now. You can't treat her like you used to." Kankuro sighed grumpily, recalling his best friend's sorrows. "You can't treat her like the unbreakable girl she used to be, because when you died, she did too. She was so scared, Gaara. So scared."

"What do you want me to do?" Gaara retorted, this time, in a milder manner. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Be nice." Kankuro answered simply. "It's probably pointless to tell you that, because trust me, I've tried for fifteen years and nothing!"

"She's so stubborn!" the redhead shot back in frustration. "No matter what I say, she's going to do what she wants, and I can't protect her and make her happy at the same time."

"So do what you know is the right thing. Don't bullshit me and tell me you don't have a soft spot for her, or that you don't regret it after you make her cry. Whatever you do, do it gently, Gaara."

With that, Kankuro stormed off to Gaara's room and collapsed face first onto the inviting mattress. This, of course, left Gaara standing a door away from his everything to contemplate his next move.

* * *

Sachiko woke up to a relentless jabbing pain in her hands.

"Wow, I screwed up big time," she mumbled, shaking her hand slightly only to feel another jolt of pain. "Damn. I'm so screwed for my mission now."

"I told you not to worry about it," said a honey-coated voice answered as an all-too-familiar figure entered the room with a small white bag.

"How may I help you, _Kazekage-sama_?" Sachiko shot back sourly. The fact that he forbade her from calling his name was really a slap in the face.

Gaara sighed deeply, his dark-rimmed eyes pained and glossy. "Chie…"

She wouldn't admit it, but hearing her nickname roll off his tongue magically took a weight off her shoulders. She didn't know how he felt about her, but she was just glad he wasn't furious with her anymore.

"If you're calling me that, I hope you're here to apologize." Sachiko glared. Taking a deep breath, Gaara sat himself down next to her. When Sachiko didn't move away, he gingerly took her hands and placed them on his lap. "What are you-"

"Apologizing." Gaara answered firmly, pulling out an icepack from his bag. Suddenly, Sachiko let out a strangled gasp as the ice came in contact with her broken fingers. Gaara's eyes narrowed when he heard her cries, and instantly shot a hand up to her cheek. He rubbed her flushed face roughly, distracting her from her hands as she choked in sweat and tears. "It's okay, it's okay…"

Sachiko nodded, sniffling as her hands numbed. Once Gaara was sure she couldn't feel anything anymore, he carefully pulled the icepack to her wrist. He started intently at it, remembering how she got that bruise.

"Don't worry about it." Sachiko assured him, wiping away her tears with her spare forearm. For the first time, Gaara finally looked up to meet her gaze.

"I'm sorry." He murmured in the most sincerely voice she had ever heard come out of his mouth. Sachiko couldn't help but return a weak smile and shook her head in defeat. She'll admit it: she had fallen hopelessly in love with this man; there was never a doubt in her mind that she wouldn't forgive him.

After Sabaku no Gaara had finally wrapped up her hands, he moved to stroke her face when his sand had grazed the night before. The mark was now bright red and stood out against her pale skin.

"I'm okay, Ga-Kazekage-sama." Sachiko corrected quickly before cupping his hand and brought it away from her face. Instead, with a new found courage, she threw her arms around him and pulled him close.

"Just Gaara…please." Gaara breathed, closing his eyes as he froze at the sudden human contact. He felt warm. So very comfortably warm that he finally acquiesced to her and slowly put his hands around her waist.

"Gaara." Sachiko repeated, allowing his warmth to seep back into her body. It was odd, whenever he was with her, he never used a sand armor against his skin. She could always touch him, the real him. Perhaps he knew she was never a threat.

"Chie, about last night-"

"Please don't. I'd rather not talk about it right now." Sachiko insisted, tightening her hold on him as she gently placed her cold lips on the burning scar on his forehead. Every time she looked at the 'Ai', it was as if she had experienced the same thing vicariously. To have a scar like that…it must have been nothing short of torture. Torture…Gaara…Mission. It's all too much. "Please." She choked, silent tears falling onto his Kazekage robe.

"No, Chie, I need you to hear this." Gaara insisted, only to have Sachiko push him away.

"No! Why do you always do this to me? For once, can't you just give me what I want instead of what I need?" Sachiko cried out. Why must it always come back to Gaara getting hurt? "Why?"

"Because I care okay!" Gaara yelled, his voice full of honey and thorns, his eyes glaring with certain tenderness beneath the hard exterior. He thought long and hard about Kankuro's advice, and finally, for the first time ever, it was Gaara's turn to initiate affection. His arms shot out to grab her and reeled her in against him. "I-Is that okay?" He whispered much more softly this time, caringly, lovingly, and the stunned Sachiko couldn't decipher whether he was referring to his previous question or his gesture.

Either way, she nodded with a strangled sob as she buried herself into his chest, crying softly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry…" she repeated over and over until Gaara shushed her with a squeeze.

As the sun began to rise, Sachiko finally calmed. By then, she was beyond exhausted, but it didn't matter. Even with all the fights, it had been the best night since Gaara was kidnapped. She finally spent the night with him outside the office, and at the moment, with his arms around her, she couldn't ask for anything more. Unfortunately-

"The sun's coming up, I should get back to work." Gaara muttered, closing his eyes for a momentary rest.

"What can I do?" The redhead reopened his seafoam eyes and glanced down at the brunette in his arms, slightly taken back by the question. Sachiko had avoided his gaze, but she held on tighter. "What can I do to make you stay? …Just for a while longer?"

There was a beat of silence, and Sachiko sighed. The Kazekage was the Kazekage for a reason. He was right. It wasn't meant to be fun.

But Gaara did respond.

"Your trust."

"What?" The brunette lifted her head in confusion. "But I do trust you. With my life, you know it."

Gaara shook his head. "No, you have to trust me with _my_ life. I lo-" He coughed quickly, clearing his throat. "I care about you too much to lie to you. My job requires me to protect the village with my life, but you have to trust that I won't throw it away. I'll fight. For you. For us."

The golden-eyed brunette watched him struggle for a minute before finally smiling up at him with a rare tranquility in her eyes. He was recovering. He was okay. She just needed to know that the Akatsuki incident won't happen again, and with Gaara's gentle reassurance…Sachiko knew she can do nothing more but trust him.

"You have my trust." She murmured into his shoulder, fluttering her eyes closed. "So will you stay?"

Gaara lifted his head to give the window a quick glance, a gland at his village, before refocusing his attention back on her. Then, with the tiniest hint of a smile, the redhead nodded.

"As long as you want, Chie."

The sun did finally rise over that sandy horizon, and the villagers were beginning to bustle about. The Kazekage and his best friend, however, laid in bed that day, and soaked in each other's company. While they may not be ready to confess their feelings…they don't really have to. Because right now, with Gaara in her arms, Sachiko knew he would never leave her again. Ever.


End file.
